U.S. teen-ager stows away on jet because he wants to join Mossad

August 2, 1999 9:00am

LONDON, Aug. 2 (JTA) — A teen-ager stowed away — business class — on a recent British Airways flight from Boston to London to prove that he has the mettle to join the Mossad. A deeply embarrassed British Airways admitted that its security was breached when 17-year-old Abraham Derman managed to smuggle himself aboard a Boeing 747 on July 12. An airline spokesman said the company is now cooperating with the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident. Derman reportedly climbed the razor wire surrounding Boston’s Logan Airport and walked through two miles of restricted area before entering the airliner through a door that should have been locked. Once aboard the plane, he took a seat in economy class but moved into the business class area when another passenger claimed his seat. He then enjoyed a $6,000 trip for the duration of the journey, enjoying a choice of 12 films. The adventure ended when the plane landed at Heathrow Airport in London, and Derman was apprehended by British airport officials. He was sent back to Boston aboard another British Airways flight. According to The Boston Globe newspaper, Derman told investigators that he had stowed away to impress the Mossad. Sources told the newspaper he is unlikely to face criminal charges because he is under 18, but a spokesman for the airline said the incident is being taken seriously. Jeremy Crockford, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan Airport, was quoted as saying that the act was “unbelievably foolish.” “He could have been shot, or killed by a plane, car or truck out there. It is a case where a bright young man misused his talents.”